Freeport Yellow Jackets

As many of you are aware, there was an unfortunate occurrance in Kittanning early Sunday morning as fire caused the Belmont Arena and the new Kittanning Locker Room a great deal of damage. Many people have asked how they can show support for the Kittanning Hockey Program and we at Pa Hockey would like encourage that all support be sent to the Kittanning Hockey Boosters by contacting Joe Avi or Jeff Smouse.....lets lend a hand to our good friends up north .....Thank You !

KITTANNING – Freeport coach Jim Hill is anxious for the playoffs to begin because he knows his Yellow Jackets are nearing playoff form as they have played the toughest teams in Class A and are almost ready for a playoff run. What will put Freeport over the top was on display against Bishop McCort on Thursday night at the Belmont and maybe when they show a little more patience the discipline they need to put this team on their way to playoff glory. Bishop McCort can write a book on discipline, as coach John Bradley’s teams are always in the playoffs and striving for their 10th Penguins Cup in 11 years. The Crimson Crushers are a young team, which is nearing playoff form and would face a big test aginst Freeport. Like two heavyweight boxers, Freeport and Bishop McCort played flawless defensive hockey for the first period, each limiting their opponents to outside chances on Yellow Jacket’s Derek Gaworski and Crusher’s Anthony Feyock. At 8:27, Joe Delic found his way in between the circles and had a loose puck on his stick and Delic fired a wrist shot through the five hole past Gaworski to make it 1-0. Freeport came back and carried the play and with 3:23 remaining in the opening period it was Dustin Gaworski, who fought off a McCort defenseman and fired a snapshot in between the legs of Feyock. The second period was a defensive battle with both teams having chances and Gaworski and Feyock kept the game tied at one apiece. With 8:00 to go, Freeport went on the power play and had a golden opportunity to take the lead. Dustin Gaworski was loose and had Feyock down and with his shot heading upstairs Feyock just got a glove on it to prevent the Yellow Jackets from taking the lead. McCort then exuded tremendous patience and limited Freeport chances, maybe hoping to for an opportunity of its own and then it happened….two Freeport players collided at center ice creating an odd man break and the Crusher’s Nick Pappas found Russ Profaser alone in front who backhand a shot down on the ice past Derek Gaworski and gave McCort a 2-1 lead with 4:15 remaining. Delic added a power play goal with 1:34 left to give McCort a 3-1 victory as the Crimson Crushers appear headed for a # 3 seed showdown with arch rival Westmont Hilltop on the final game of the regular season.

KITTANNING – Back in week 8, coach Craig Clontz’s Hampton club 3-6-0 and looked ready to mail the season in and miss the playoffs for the first time in a few years. The Talbots have turned their season around with six wins in seven outings including big one goal victories over Indiana and West Allegheny. Hampton was looking to add division kig pin Kittanning to the trophy closet. Kittanning on the other hand is in a real battle with Thomas Jefferson, Peters Twp and Greensburg CC for the top spot in Class AA and the chain of events 24 hours earlier put head coach Jeff Smouse’s club in a must win situation. The Wildcats, who’s lineup looks more like a hospital than a hockey team, dropped a heartbreaker to division rival Pine Richland while Thomas Jefferson’s last second win at Indiana put the Jaguar’s a game ahead of the Wildcats. So the coach was not in his usual cheerful mood prior to the late game at the Belmont. Hampton came out smoking in the opening minutes with some aggressive play and Ben Daniels goal with 8:02 put the Talbots on top 1-0. Michael Mecurio tied the game at 5:21 as the big Kittanning forward continued his hot hand. John Bongiovanni put Hampton back on top with a backhander with just 1:33 left in the opening frame. With his team a little down after Hampton took a 2-1 lead, Mecurio scored a huge goal on a big slapshot with just :53 seconds left to tie the game at two apiece. On to the second and Hampton took the play to Kittanning as Matt Celin scored at 14:52 and again at 10:57 and all the sudden the Talbots had a 4-2 lead. Kittanning now had to dig down and got a big time play as Luke Heller made a terrific feed to budding superstar Eddie Germy who whipped shot past Brian Troiano and the Wildcats were back within one at 4-3 with 8:54 left in the middle period. The Kittanning dug down and started to outwork Hampton and their lunch pail specialist Wade Bowser, while falling down, slipped a shot past Troiano and the game was tied again at 4-4. The long trek to Kittanning’s marvelous locker room facility built by the boosters and players was a little easier as the sick and wounded followed behind to hear the rally cry in the ‘House of Smouse’ between periods and what ever was said really had an impact as the Wildcats hit the ice in the third and Eddie Germy provided the spark as he beat Troiano on a rebound 47 seconds into the final period on a rebound. Back and forth they went and Adam Toy made several key saves along the way as Kittanning clung to a slim one-goal advantage. With the Wildcats winding the clock down, Hampton was awarded a power play with :49 left and the Talbots pulled the goalie for an extra attacker and had several chances with scrambles around the Kittanning net but Toy and the Wildcat four of Justin Avi, Brandon Beatty, Joel Shriver and Michael Mecurio would not let the Hampton score and Kittanning held on for a HUGE victory setting up a big game next week with Indiana.

INDIANA - Indiana has experienced an up and down season with close losses to top dogs in Class AA Peters Township, Greensburg CC and Kittanning. Coach Dom Glavech knows his team can play with the best teams and has the age old problem of getting his guys to play more consistently as the Indians have been impressive at times with big wins over Pine Richland and Canevin, in fact this evening’s opponent Thomas Jefferson may have been their most impressive of the season back on December 28th in the Scholastic Showcase, when Indiana defeated the Jaguars 4-3. Thomas Jefferson, on the other hand, is coming off an emotional victory over rival South Park, which was costly to the Jaguars as injured forwards Andrew Olmstead and Brandon School along with Eric Holzer did not make the trip to Indiana. Coach Don Powell team is in a battle for the # 1 seed in Class AA with Peters, Kittanning and Greensburg CC and a victory over Indiana would go a long way to securing that berth. So the two teams with the sharpest looking uniforms in all of Interscholastic Hockey faced off at the Indiana Ice Center before a throng of Indiana faithful. Early on, it was all Indiana as Thomas Jefferson netminder Danny Hartman, a Pa Hockey Top 25 selection, helped the Jaguars weather the storm in the first period with keys stops on Aaron Smith at 12:44, Zach Diamond at 12:03, Bryan Schlemmer at 1:57 and Mike Nesper’s set up of Smith at 9:39…..all were great scoring opportunities and Hartman kept the Indians off the board. Indiana goalie Mike Mentch got into the act at 9:01 as he stopped Luke Wawrzeniak on the breakaway. Then Indiana got a break as Jayson Vaughn’s shot from the side of the net bounced off a TJ defenseman and behind Hartman to give Indiana a 1-0 lead at 6:49. Thomas Jefferson had their chances to tie the game, but Mentch stopped Bill Barrett on the breakaway with 2:44 remaining and then robbed Denny Bucci and Mike Luznar with two sprawling saves with :58 left in the opening period to preserve a 1-0 Indiana lead. On to the second and TJ finally solved Mentch at 11:02 as Luke Wawrzeniak spotted Anthony Pandolfo on the backdoor and Pandolfo buried it to tie the game at 1-1. The game went back and forth with Indiana having several power play opportunities, which were thwarted by excellent penalty killing by the Jaguars, the best chance was Dane Bertanazzi who had Hartman down in front but could not find the handle on the puck and the game went to the third period tied at one apiece. At some point in hockey games, team have key points where they are made or broken and when the Indians went on the power plat with 11:47 left it was a golden opportunity to take the lead and possibly secure a big win. Indiana capitalized as Zach Diamond took a pass cross crease from Bertanazzi and # 19’s shot just trickled past Hartman, who almost was able to stop the shot but Indiana had a huge goal and a 2-1 lead with 11:04 remaining. Now TJ coach Powell has been looking for his troups to exude a little character in tight situations all season. Down 2-1 on the road with some injuries to his top scorers in a hostile environment, the Jaguars were looking for signs of a championship team and maybe we would see a little preview as the dreaded curfew clock [it’s a bad rule folks!] ticked away on TJ. CJ Parkinson made a terrific play at the point as he kept the puck in the zone and threw it to the net and there was Derek Kelly for the rebound and Kelly slammed it home past Mentch with 9:27 remaining to tie the game for TJ at 2-2. TJ’s bid to take the lead by Bill Barrett was stooped on a great backchecking effort by Indiana’s Jayson Boske with 7:49 left……then the Jags went on the power play and could not score ……tick, tick, tick went the dreaded curfew clock and the final period clock were almost even as 1:30 went off the curfew clock during at timeout and there would be no time for overtime. So coach Powell’s Jaguars decided we are gonna settle this one ourselves under a minute to play, an Indiana defensive breakdown and there was CJ Parkinson who calmly picked up the loose puck and buried it over a sprawling Mentch with just four seconds left to give Thomas Jefferson an unbelievable 3-2 victory at Indiana. As poetic justice would relieve this writer and everyone else....there was just 4.4 on the STUPID INSIGNIFICANT CURFEW CLOCK cause this one was decided by the players....great game guys !!!!

Pa Hockey will be on the air to televise yes you heard that correctly televise upcoming Penguinc Cup Playoff games.......Ron Steedle and Jeff Mauro will be on hand to provide all the pomp, pagentry and probably a laugh or two !